Category — General

Oliphant on Schiavo
I think Pat…:

Oliphant on Schiavo

I think Pat Oliphant gets it pretty close to correct
here
…

- Orac [Respectful Insolence (a.k.a. "Orac Knows")]

I guess it is a wonderful time to be a political cartoonist or to write for The Daily Show.

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i agree. this is spot on

Key Stools:
I’m not sure if I should be surprised that no one has thought of this before, but Great Big Stuff apparently sells “Great Big Computer Key Seats.” In classic black or beige, the plastic chairs “hold your backspace just like your finger rests in a key,” and can be customized with up to 10 characters of your choosing. (Yes, you can be vulgar. No, we hadn’t thought of using that word. Yes, you’re hilarious. And so forth.) At only $84, (add $16 for a custom key, $5 for shipping) you’re sure to be the talk of your local D&D chapter’s meetings.
Catalog Page [GreatBigStuff via GadgetMadness]

these look cool

Articles – Breakfast On Death Row – Mr Breakfast.com:
What would you choose for your last meal if you were about to be executed?

An interesting question. A fun question, if you don’t happen to be on death row. But is it possible that this question could offer insight into the criminal mind? In the simplest terms, is it possible that people who prefer pancakes commit less crime than those who prefer, say, hamburgers? Not only is it possible, it’s probable.

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this explains so…. little.

NOT Ghetto Mess:

onday, October 4th, 2004 ended a six-year dispute involving Sophia Stewart, the Wachowski Brothers, Joel Silver and Warner Brothers. Stewart’s allegations, involving copyright infringement and racketeering, were received and acknowledged by the Central District of California, Judge Margaret Morrow residing.

Stewart, a New Yorker who has resided in Salt Lake City for the past five years, will recover damages from the films, The Matrix I, II and III, as well as The Terminator and its sequels. She will soon receive one of the biggest payoffs in the history of Hollywood, as the gross receipts of both films and their sequels total over 2.5 billion dollars.

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but i’m sure there are better ways to spend her wealth…

BAD ATTITUDES: It ain’t just the money, honey.:
Over the last 50 years, we in the west have enjoyed unparalleled economic growth. We have better homes, cars, holidays, jobs, education and above all health. According to standard economic theory, this should have made us happier.

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yep, it isn’t really about the money. I’ll actually say that i think it is about ‘equality’ happiness is tied to virtue and virtue begets reward, unequal reward for equal virtue leads to unhappiness.

A Great Man Dies, Unheeded:
George F. Kennan, who out-thought and outlived all the fools who outranked him, is dead at the age of 101. Being America’s wisest diplomat, he was of course misunderstood and ignored for most of his life. He lived to see…
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i dunno… who knows, either he was brilliant or not.

Schiavo:

I’m going to take a contrary view on the Schiavo case. I actually agree with the callous sentiments of the RudePundit: she’s gone. There is no person there. Her cortex is a film of goo. It’s a sad story, but everyone has to face the fact that she’s never going to recover and what’s there right now is nothing but twitching meat.

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well, i agree. there is alive, and then there is being a responsible ‘person’/part of society and that is an important distinction.

and well, i also agree with pharyngula in that if the mommy and poppy want to spend their personal wealth, and no one else will pay to sustain the life, then yes, that should be their choice, but the state and estate rides with the executor.

Buildings In About 12 Hours:
Bringing me back to the days when I used to play C&C: Red Alert, a few engineers in London have devised a way to quickly erect cement structures in the field. The “building in a bag” is essentially “a sack of cement-impregnated fabric” that, with a little air and water, inflates into a Nissen-shaped structure that dries and is ready for use in twelve hours. Meant to act as a stronger solution than a tent while remaining at least relatively portable, a 500-pound sack will inflate to form a structure with 172 square feet of floor space. At only $2,100, “the volume of the sack controls the water-to-cement ratio,” so you don’t need to fuss with hard-to-read measuring cups while trying to build a new mess hall. Wired has the full story and a diagram of the building process.
Need a Building? Just Add Water [Wired]

This is cool.

Digital Solidarity Fund for community computer projects launched in Geneva:
A “Digital Solidarity Fund”, a voluntary financing mechanism designed to provide community computers, was launched today in Geneva, with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcoming the initiative as contributing to the fight against poverty and bridging the information divide.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=13643&Cr=information&Cr1=technology

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this is good news.

Return of the living meme:
1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A SECOND HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
well, i don’t have a first house yet, but a second house will be a cabin in the mountains for the summers.
2. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLES OF CLOTHING?
black t-shirts
3. THE LAST CDs YOU BOUGHT?
i bought a monty python lp off itunes yesterday….

4. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?
with the sun
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE?
cast iron skillet
6. IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
well i own a banjo and a harmonica….. and only can play the harmonica servicably, so the banjoy?
7. FAVORITE COLOR?
black i guess, or silver or blue or red, i’m really not particular.
8. WHICH VEHICLE DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR, MOTORCYCLE, OR SUV?
truck, black, 4wd

9. DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE AFTERLIFE?
nope

10. FAVORITE CHILDREN’S BOOK?
where the wild things are

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
fall

12. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?
no tatoos or body modifications, i’m not the sort to construct my individuality any more than it is.

13. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
a 100000 year life guaranteed, starting about 50000 years ago.

14. CAN YOU JUGGLE?
yes, 3 balls with a little practice, 4 balls if i’m really ‘on’, and 5 balls once, but i was distracted, i have juggling cubes and acrobats (which are shaped like bats)

15. ONE PERSON/PEOPLE FROM YOUR PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO?
no one in particular, though perhaps my pop
16. WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED?
nothing, i keep the boxspring on the floor to keep out the dustbunnies

17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DAY?
i’m not that big on any individual day, but i’d have to say that i am a fan of obscure holidays, like bloomsday, and i absolutely refuse to work on memorial day and veterans day.

18. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER?
if i am unfamiliar with the establishment, hamburger, but nothing beats good sushi.

19. FROM THE PEOPLE WHO NORMALLY READ YOUR BLOG, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?
i dunno, it varies by topic.

20. ON WHICH BLOG DID YOU FIND THIS MEME?
little professor

21. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER?

this one, but it looks better full sized

23. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEAL?
it varies

24. DESCRIBE YOUR PJS.

if i have to wear pj’s i just wear shorts and a t-shirt

25. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BREAKFAST?
eggs and spinache

26. DO YOU LIKE YOUR JOB?
yep

27. WHAT IS YOUR DREAM JOB?

some variation of what i already do.

28. WHAT AGE DO YOU PLAN TO RETIRE?

the retirement acct. is supposed to pay out at 60.

29. WHERE DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER?

single

30. SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT YOU HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE.

i don’t really go about things that way, if i really want to to do something, i tend to just do it.